Ranma: Only Never
by RanChan
Summary: After causing his father's death while training in China, Ranma vows to fulfill Genma's final wish, to unite the Anything Goes schools, no matter what. However, with darkness looming over him, others close to him may die as well. New chapter up
1. The Black Prince

Chapter 1:

The Black Prince

Rain continued to pour heavily, as it had most of the day. Now, after all that had happened it seemed rather fitting. As a crack of lightning struck the ground some miles off, it illuminated the ghastly scene of a young redhead with a fist through a man's chest, and the man slumped against her. She cradled the dying man with her other arm, and even through th rain-soaking her face, tears could be seen. She refused to remove her arm from his chest so long as he was still alive, she wanted to do everything to let him live one moment longer, to get every last word out if possible.

"L-listen Ranma. You must return to Japan." The man's eyes rolled back slightly in his head as he coughed, blood coming from his mouth and splattering against the red-headed girl's shirt. "Find the Tendo dojo, ask for Soun. He'll know what to do if you tell him who your father is. M-make me proud my boy."

"Come on Pop's don't say that. You can't leave me like this, not at my hand!" The girl screamed as she felt the body against her go a bit more limp, as she felt more weight against her. She looked into the old man's eyes, tears streaming freely from her own as the rain continued to wash them from her face.

"Find Soun, you h-have to unite the schools." The old man wheezed slightly, and gasped for air. Then as his body went completely limp and his final breath came out, his last words escaped. "I love you Ranma, this was all my fault... Please don't blame..."

The red-head pulled her fist from the older man's chest, looked him in the eye as she wrapped her other arm around him and screamed out in agony at the top of her lungs. "Not like this Pop's, you can't die like this, not here!!!" She settled the old man against the ground and rested her head against his chest just below the fatal wound, tears streaming against his shirt. "I, I can't go on without you, you're the only thing I have, please, don't leave me like this!"

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Several weeks had passed since her father's death, the red-head had vowed to carry out her father's last request, and that had brought her back home, to the Nerima district of Tokyo, Japan. It had taken a few days since her arrival, but she'd finally found the right place, the Tendo Training Hall. Without hesitation, without second thought, she rang the doorbell and awaited an answer.

The one to answer was a tall girl, about nineteen years old, with long brown hair. She looked as though she was very mature, almost enough to make her seem older then she was. In every respect of the word, she had the appearence of a young newlywed woman who was perfectly serving her husband's every needs. "Oh, hello. Who might you be miss?"

The red-head took a deep breath, she could still feel her father's blood on her hands, she could still hear the echo of his voice, his final words. As the scene replayed in her mind over and over again, she hesitated to respond. Finally she found the courage, and spoke, almost timidly. "I, I'm here to see a Soun Tendo."

"Oh, you know father?" The older, rather mature looking young woman beemed a heart-warming smile and stepped aside. "Please, come in, shall I prepare some tea while you wait for father?"

"No, that'll be fine, I just need to speak with Soun Tendo." She felt a lump forming in her throat, a nervous, icy chill along her spine. She felt a sense of forboding, as if the worst had yet to come. She'd already suffered immensely, losing her father, in fact, it was her own hand that pierced his heart. That night, that horrid night, it still haunted her. She could still feel his blood trickling along her arm, the rain on her face, the last beat of his heart as he spoke his final words. She quietly followed the other young woman, as her memories continued to race, and replay that night in vividly lifelike detail, over and over again. She took a seat at a dining table, reliving her father's death again.

"It's not often that I get any visitors young lady, who might you be?"

That voice snapped her back to reality, drew her away from those painful memories just in time to save her from the insanity that was soon to come, for that she was grateful. She looked up at th eman from whom the voice had come from. He was tall, powerfully built, wore his black hair fairly long, and had a tell-tale moustache across his lips. She could only imagine that he had to be Soun Tendo. "Y-you must be Soun Tendo." Her voice shook a bit, her nerves started to flare up slightly, she could feel that same moment coming again, the moment that led to her father's death, as she wobbled, she put a hand to her eyes and hid her terror slightly. "R-Ranma Saotome. It was my f-father's dying wish that I find you."

The older man had a look of shock across his face, then slumped down to his knees as he looked at the red-head in disbelief. "My old friend, Genma is dead?" His left hand rested on the dining table, his right across his eyes. "That can't be, oh Genma, you were like a brother to me. How did this happen?"

"It just happened. What did my father mean? He said you'd know what to do, he told me to unite the schools." The red-head had cleared her thoughts of doubt and nervousness for the moment, she was more curious, lost in her father's final words, lost in what his true meaning had been.

"What was he thinking, that old fool. Sending a girl to me, when he knew I expected his son." Soun sighed, shook his head, then sat back and looked at Ranma for a moment. "We had planned that one of my daughters marry his son, and join our schools as one. But, that fool sends me a daughter. I can't... How does he expect me to marry off my daughters to a woman."

"There's a reason for this Mr. Tendo. I am Ranma Saotome, Genma's only son." She shivered slightly, as if she expected the disbelief to come. She watched the older man closely for a moment, wincing as he paused to think. She felt a deep desire to fulfill her father's dying wish, no matter the cost, she owed him that much. "If you have any hot water, I can prove it, and explain everything."

"Very well Ranma, I'll believe you as it is now, but tell me, why have you arrived here as a girl?"

"It started in China, Pop's and I were training at the Legendary Training Grounds, the Cursed Springs of Juusenkyou. While training, I lost my balance, and fell into one of the springs, when cold water touches me, I take on the body of the person who drowned in that spring, in my case, a young girl." She left out many details, including how her father had been the first to fall in, and it was his counter attack that put her in the drink. She neglected to include that her father had been cursed at all. Lastly, she neglected to include the circumstances of his death. She'd come up with a story for that later if the need arose.

"Juusenkyou, so the legends are true then, I see, then that means you really are Genma's son. This could prove to be good news afterall." Soun smiled slightly as he looked at Ranma. "You do turn back into a boy, right?"

"Yes, with warm water." She sighed a bit as she looked at Soun, holding back her emotions, attempting to remain stoic. Something still felt uneasy, she was waiting for the other foot to fall, so to speak.

"Good, good, then please, do take a warm bath upstairs, I'll gather my daughters. In spite of the tragic loss of my good friend, your father, we shall celebrate tonight, and the engagement shall go on. I'll allow you to choose among them which you wish to marry." Soun was elated as he stood. He'd neglected to tell Ranma where the bath was, but that seemed a minor point.

Ranma lowered her head as she stood and allowed a few tears to fall. So this was what her father had meant. She couldn't back out, she had vowed to fulfill his final wish, to unite the schools. She would marry one of Soun's daughters no matter what it took, no matter how much it could hurt her in the end. She was the one responsible for her father's death, she would be the one to fulfill his dream. She headed slowly up the stairs, found the obvious bathroom quickly, closed herself in, and proceeded to start cleaning herself. By the end of the night, perhaps she'd be able to move past her father's death. With that hope in mind she slowly lowered herself into the warm bath water.


	2. A Curse Like no Other

Chapter 2:

A Curse Like No Other

The black-haired boy sighed slightly as he leaned against the side of the tub, the water felt nice, the surroundings fairly unfamiliar. Details were sketchy, but he had a rough idea of what had been going on. That woman had brought him here, likely under a false sense of honor towards that fool of a father. He himself had suffered for his father's death, that he was responsible, that much he still hadn't fully accepted. Perhaps it was for the better though, he could have his own life, and he wouldn't have to deal with Genma.

He took another deep breath before standing. He had to force her memories out, so that he could play along with whatever game she was playing. He always hated this waking process, it seemed to take longer each time, more time he had to waste to understand what had happened while that woman had been in control. Still, as he dried, some of her recent memories surfaced, and he was able to understand the situation. "A fiance huh? Maybe this will be a good thing afterall." He smirked slightly, then dressed himself and headed back downstairs. By then he'd regained enough of her memories to play along, so far the Tendos had been friendly, perhaps that was a blessing in itself, he ha dworried that Soun would have been more like his father.

"Please understand, I made a pact of honor with my closest, dearest friend. I won't force you into this, but I'm asking, to honor Genma's memory, that you consider this." Soun sat across from three girls, his daughters, Ranma had assumed as he reached the doorway. His memory was still slightly fuzzy, but he seemed to recall the long, brown hair of the oldest looking girl from before. Soun looked up with a slight smile, then motioned to the place next to him at the table. "Ah, there you are Ranma, I was just explaining the situation to my daughters. Now, Ranma, these are my three daughters. Kasumi, my eldest, is nineteen years old.." He motioned to the long, sandy brown-haired girl, Ranma recognized her this time completely, though she appeared to have not known he was the girl from before. Perhaps that would work out best for now.

Soun's hand continued to the girl in the middle. A slightly more mischievious looking girl, with short, deep brown hair. Her eyes seemed analytical in nature, and there was definately something troublesome behind her cold, almost calculating stare. Ranma felt something of a kindred spirit in her, and almost let out a smirk, as if he'd made a choice on choosing her. However, there was something else about her that rubbed him wrong, sure, she seemed most like him, but at the same time, that could prove quite troublesome. "This is Nabiki, she's seventeen." Ranma made a mental note of that, she was still slightly older then he.

And then Soun's hand came to rest upon the third girl before he settled it at his side. This one was easily the most beautiful, with long, nearly jet black hair, a cute face, and an obvious attitude. Ranma could tell by looking that as far as martial arts went, she was the only one in the family with any real skill, she was also the one who seemed to be most active. He decided, before even hearing her name that she'd be the one he'd choose. "My youngest daughter, Akane, she's sixteen."

Ranma quietly nodded, to be polite. He couldn't seem too eager to choose any of the girls, afterall, that might scare them off. Instead, he hesitated a moemtn, then looked at Akane again before feigning a smile. "I think Akane would be best, she's closest to my age, right?"

The two older girls let out sighs of relief as they watched the young man, and then thier sister with interest. The youngest seemed mildly disturbed, and only slightly angry. Ranma pieced it together that none of them were comfortable with the idea of an arranged marriage. He couldn't exactly blame them, he wasn't too fond of the idea himself, however, it was advantagious to him to accept this. For the time being, it was likely he'd be allowed to stay here, be offered food, and he could do as he pleased so long as it didn't interfere with the Tendos.

"Well then, that's settled, You'll marry Akane, boy. In the mean time, make yourself at home, you're part of the family now." Soun smiled looking at his daughters, then to Ranma. "I'll have Akane show you to the guest room."

"Thank you Mr. Tendo." Ranma continued the polite act, if nothing else, he'd been right about his father's friend, he was a fool who still lived by the old codes, and it served Ranma best. He had a place to stay and guaranteed food. He stood up slowly, and focused his eyes on Akane, watching her carefully as her two older sisters quickly stood themselves and left the room.

Akane let out a long, labored sigh before standing, then motioning Ranma to follow her. "This way." She seemed less then happy about the situation, but far more excepting then Ranma could have imagined. He simply followed her quietly, biding his time.

She opened the door to a drak, dusty room on the edge of the household, the furthest edge away from everything else. It was easily the most secluded room in the Tendo household, and it sparked Ranma's interest. To think, he was left alone in a secluded portion of the house with a woman who more or less had no choice but to marry him. As Akane stepped into the room to show Ranma around, he sprung into action. His left arm slipped tightly around her neck as his right arm grabbed and restrained the girl's right. She had been caught completely offguard and had no way to defend, nor could she scream due to his left arm.

Akane gasped in shock and flailed about with her one still free hand. She'd had no reason to be on guard, her father had told them to trust the boy, he was the son of thier father's oldest friend. It had been explained that Ranma had recently lost his father, she'd seen him appearing to be broken, solemn, like she had been years earlier after her mother passed from this world. She had not expected to be attacked like this, so quickly, so flawlessly. She clawed at his left arm, but that clearly became futile as the air seemed to leave her breath and the world started to go dark.

Ranma threw her to the ground as he felt her body start to go limp, then sat atop her staring into her half closed eyes with an almost psychotic look. "Remember how easily I broke you, remember, you're mine now. If you think to tell anyone, then next time, I'll kill you."

That was the last Akane could remember before the world went completely black. She awoke several hours later, the room was mostly dark, but she could still make out the details, including Ranma who was sitting against the wall near the door, staring at her coldly. She sat up slowly, feeling wobbly from the earlier forced sleep she had endured. She could feel Ranma's eyes following her as she moved, knowing they were trained on her like a sniper's rifle. She slowly backed away from him, towards the far corner of the room in terror. She'd never met anyone who could take her out so quickly, so easily. She was fearful, and broken.

Ranma stood and approached her slowly, then knelt next to her. The light was minimal, but Akane could sense and see something different. Ranma placed a hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes before speaking, the voice blatently more feminine. "I, I'm so sorry Akane."

Akane was again shocked, and watched Ranma, blinking a bit furiously as she tried to find words. Something was definately going on, something strange. Why did Ranma sound like a girl? "Wh-what, what happened?"

"I, I was careless, I let him out again. I, I should have known better." Ranma threw her arms around Akane and hugged her tightly. The black haired girl was shocked once again, then felt warm tears start to soak through her shirt.

"W-who are you?"

"I, I'm Ranma Saotome. It's a long story." The girl leaned away from Akane and stared at her quietly through tear-stained eyes. "I need your help, I can't let him come out again."


	3. A Woman's Pact

Chapter 3:

A Woman's Pact

"If you're Ranma, what's going on?" Akane was in shock, the form, it looked almost identical to Ranma, even in the darkness, though there were some minor differences, and a couple major ones. The body frame was tinier, the cest was bigger, the voice screamed of femininity. Then there was the smell, she caught it only briefly, but the man who had attacked her had a slightly musky, masculine scent, while this girl, she had a slightly more pungent, yet feminine smell. "H-how, how are you that same person? Wait, y-you attacked me."

"It's a long story Akane, we are the same person, yet we aren't." Ranma let out a slight sigh, watching Akane for a moment. The girl had calmed slightly, seemed less broken, less defeated. Her confidence seemed to have returned slightly, at least Ranma was happy to see that. "I suppose your father didn't tell you, about my training trip with my old man to China."

"He mentioned something about that, but no details. All he told us was that you had returned here after losing your father while training in China. That you came here at your father's dying request. What's going on here Ranma? Why did you attack me?" Akane's temper had returned, she sensed a timidness in the girl, and she was starting to get furious that she had been attacked.

"While training in China, we came to a place called Juusenkyou. That's where everything began. While sparring with my father over the springs, I kicked him off balance, and he fell in one. I didn't expect what happened next. When the surface of the spring broke again, a Panda shot from the water and attacked me. I learned later that that panda was my father. Unfortunately for both of us, the spring I fell into was one of the most cursed springs at Juusenkyou." As Ranma told the story, she felt the pain in her chest and the blood of her father trickling down her left arm again. She remembered his face as his eyes rolled back and he took his last few breaths. Then she felt the tears welling in her eyes.

Akane saw this, the obvious pain the other girl was feeling, and instinctively hugged her tightly "It's ok Ranma, if it's that painful, you don't have to tell me." She was starting to feel for the girl, she had only just become aware of it, but it was like this Ranma was someone completely different then the one she'd met with her sisters.

"No, I have to tell you, you more then anyone else. He has his eyes set on you, he's dangerous."

"Who is? Who is he? What do you mean he's dangerous?"

"The demon inside of me, the man you met earlier, that Ranma. He, He's the one who killed my old man." Ranma couldn't hold it anymore and buried her face against Akane, crying wildly for several minutes. Akane sat there quietly, slightly stunned, and simply held the red-head tightly. Something felt very off about this entire situation, and she was incredibly uncomfortable. Several moments passed and Ranma finally calmed down a bit, at least, enough to continue her story. "Anyways, long ago, a woman cast herself into the spring I fell into and drowned. Since that day, anyone who falls into the spring takes her body when splshed with cold water."

"So, how does that explain how your personality is so different when you're a man?"

"Years after that woman drowned, a prince fell into the spring. Suffering under the curse, he ordered a court magician to destroy the spring. However, Juusenkyou is already a magical place, and mixing magic does not go well. That mixing of magic strengthened the curse, so that whoever fell into it would develope two distinct personalities to go with thier two bodies." Ranma took a deep breath and looked into Akane's bewildered eyes. "My passion, desire, my need to be the best, that was manifested much stronger in my male side, and it twisted him, he's unstable. There's more, when I'm male, I, the female Ranma am completely unaware of his actions. When I awaken like this, his memories slowly blur into mine. I only assume he's the same in that respect."

Akane took this all in, she wanted so badly to believe the story completely, but it still seemed so far-fetched. There was so much about it that just seemed contrived. "Assuming what you've told me is true, why do you need my help?"

"At first, everytime I found myself like this, I only wanted to be a boy again, every time I awoke like this, I went out of my way to be him again, at least, until the night he killed my father. Since then, I've tried so hard to not be him again, until tonight, when my judgement slipped. Your father, he seemed so disturbed that my father had sent him a girl, that I told him that I was Genma's son, and then took that warm bath that made me him again." Ranma shivered a bit, almost as if she feared her masculinity. "I was lucky he decided to take a walk after he attacked you, and I was fortunate that it started raining."

"How am I supposed to help you though?"

"I can't be him again, I mean, what if next time he comes out, he kills you, or one of your sisters, or even your father. He's heartless, he has only desire, and he will not let anything get in his way." Ranma whimpered slightly and looked away from Akane. "You saw that first hand earlier."

"So, how am I supposed to explain to my family that my fiance is a girl, who refuses to be a man again? I mean, I can see where you're coming from, I'd rather not see him again either, but, sooner or later, he's going to be freed again, no matter what we do. And, my father may understand the situation, but my sisters..."

"Tell them anything you need to, except that he killed my old man. He will know everything I do, and that is information that will get them killed."

"Won't he kill me then?" Akane became visibly shaken at that realization. She was again terrified of Ranma, the male one. She knew his power first hand, and she knew he could easily kill her if he chose to.

"He won't, he desires you greatly. The worst he'd do, unless you openly defied him, is bodily harm." Ranma turned back to Akane and reached to hug her. Akane hesitated but eventually gave in. This Ranma was the closest thing she'd had to a close friend in a long time, she felt it odd, but at the same time, she shared many things with Ranma, some of the same pains, and due to the male Ranma, several of the same fears.

"Fine, I'll talk to them, and explain to them that you're a girl. That might actually be better for both of us in the long run, because I know my dad's going to want you attending school while you stay here. I can already hear the rumors if my classmates thought I was living with a boy, they're bad enough as it is." Akane smiled slightly looking at Ranma. "So, how do we handle him if he appears?"

"Cold water turns him back into me. But he will try to avoid it, he has to be in control, it's his greatest flaw."

Akane nodded quietly, she wanted to press Ranma for more information, but as the girl had stated, anything she knew, he would soon know as well. She'd be on her own for the time being, at least until she could get her family on her side. Her father would be the easy one, it was her sisters she worried about.

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The next morning came quickly. Akane had chosen to stay in Ranma's room with her, much to her father's joy. Soun was quite happy that his daughter seemed to take to her fiance so quickly, at least until she spoke to him that morning and explained things. Soun wasn't too pleased that his future son-in-law was so accepting of his curse, and in fact seemed to embrace it. Still, he saw the concern in Akane's eyes, and trusted her judgement. He took the initiative and decided he'd be the one to explain the situation to his two remaining daughters.

Ranma had slept in a bit later, she had had a long night after Akane fell asleep, watching her, and trying to ensure that there was no possibility of returning to him. She sat up slowly from her futon and looked around the room. She was almost relieved to find she recognized it, she always fewared waking up that her surroundings would be different, and that new memories would slowly find themselves in her mind. At least that wasn't the case, and she felt relieved. She dressed and headed out into the house, towards the dining room where she'd met the three Tendo sisters the night before, and just in time too. Kasumi, the eldest daughter had set out a very nice, traditional breakfast with an extra seat especially for Ranma. Ranma was touched, it had been so long since she'd had a home cooked meal, and breakfast was very enticing.

She took a seat at the table, looking at the spread before her with tears again forming in her eyes. She was the more emotional half of the whole, the one who felt sorrow, love, and several other of the more sympathetic emotions. She was the kind hearted Ranma, the one that the real Ranma always suppressed to hang onto his martial artist's demeanor. She looked up to Kasumi as the family's chef returned to the dining room and took a seat. "This all looks so delicious, thank you so much for the food."

Kasumi smiled, she recognized the redhead as the girl who had come to thier door the night before. Kasumi was incredibly insightful, even among her family. She had put two and two together, and was certain that this redhead was the young man whom she had met the night before as well, she was certain that this girl was Ranma, her sister's fiance. She knew it, yet she said nothing. "You're welcome, eat as much as you like."

Ranma caught the knowing look, but like Kasumi said nothing, that made three, only the middle daughter to go. That would probably be the greatest challenge here. Well, second greatest. The Tendo patriarch had used his influence in the neighborhood, and had already enrolled Ranma at Furinken High, the school both Akane and Nabiki attended. At least, that was what Akane informed her of when she joined the breakfast table. Soun joined them a few minutes later, and several minutes had passed before Nabiki joined as well. That was when the fun began.

"Who's the new girl?"

"What are you talking about Nabiki? You met Ranma last night." Soun smiled slightly, a bit nervous as he spoke to his daughter. Nabiki was easily the most intelligent member of the Tendo household, though not the most observent of minor details. Much like her sister Akane, she was one who often had to have things spelled out for her, at least, when it came to things such as ancient curses in modern times. True, Nabiki was well versed in occult legends and magical mumbo jumbo, but seeing it in person, that was something that only happened in fairy tails, and bad fanfiction, she had written her fair share of the latter in her younger years, not that anyone knew about it.

"But, Ranma was a guy. This person is obviously female, there's no way." At least, Nabiki would have had a point, if the real world had stuck to it's standard rules and practices where magic only existed in stories.

"Actually, I am that same person." Ranma blushed slightly, she didn't want to explain to anyone else her true motive for staying a girl, rather she stuck to a slightly less true explanation. "A-actually, I'm more comfortable like this, it feels more natural." A partial truth, at least enough to spare Nabiki of her male side, should he go on a rampage the next time he awoke.

"Uh, right, ok... Did the world suddenly flip upside down while we were sleeping last night? Nevermind, I don't wanna know. Hey, look at the time, I better get going, don't wanna be late for school. Oh, and Akane, you should walk your freak of a fiance to school, you know, make sure he, she, it, or whatever the hell that thing is doesn't get lost." Nabiki stood up, and quickly excused herself, it was obvious she had become more agitated and unsettled then she was the night before after the engagement was announced.

Ranma sighed slightly and looked at Akane. At least that had gone better then she'd expected. "I think she is right though, I'll probably get lost if we don't go together." She smiled slightly at Akane as the two girls stood up, bowed in thanks to Kasumi then headed for the door.

"Don't worry Ranma, I'll try to help you out as much as I can, but, uh, Nabiki was right, we should hurry so we aren't late, my uh, morning routine takes up a lot of time, and we're starting to run low on that." She almost giggled, and for the first time Ranma saw a true look of joy on her face. She thought briefly how beautiful Akane had looked at that moment, though that thought was short lived, as Akane grabbed her arm and started dragging her towards the school campus. Perhaps things were starting to look up, perhaps Ranma could finally start to move on from the tragedies in China, and find a new life.

Perhaps...


	4. The Face of Fear

Chapter 4:

The Face of Fear

Ranma awoke to a rather pleasent sight as the warm water from a busted pipe splashed him into existence. Being dragged by his property, his toy, to an unknown location, this could prove rather amusing. As the memories of his girl half slowly filled his mind he smirked and said nothing, Akane still hadn't seemed to notice the change. Slowly as Akane ran, Ranma could see the school coming into view, a veritable playground with plenty of unsuspecting fools.

As Akane reached the gate, she released Ranma's hand as several members of the male student body charged at her. She landed a swift side-kick to the first in the charge followed by an uppercut to the second, and as she spun to avoid the third's attack she spotted Ranma, the demon prince that had broken her the night before. The third student wrapped his arms around Akane as she froze at the sight of Ranma, who flickered briefly, appeared at her side, and implanted his fist in the poor young man's face. Had he not been cursed, he'd have pulled the punch a bit, and the boy would have simply hit the ground in pain. As it stood, his face visibly caved as he hit the ground completely motionless.

The remainder of the male population froze in thier tracks as they saw this, and Akane dropped to her knees. To fight Akane each day, there was honor in that, even if they did suffer bruises, and the occasional broken bone, or missing tooth. But that new boy. One of the students shouted out in terror. "H-he killed him. K-Kouda's dead!" His words weren't true, the boy in question hadn't been killed, Ranma's punch was only slightly off it's mark, but he'd never look the same again, and there was still a chance he could have died from the injury.

Ranma placed his hand on the back of Akane's collar and lifted her to her feet, she complied without hesitation as her eyes became a blur of vacancy. Ranma spun her to face the students and indignantly shouted. "This is my fiance, anyone who touches her from this moment on will die."

Having seen a demonstration first hand, most of the students shivered with fear, and turned to retreat into the school. It was obvious Akane was off limits from that point on.

All but one student fled that is, the one remaining wore a blue topped Kimono with black Hakama leggings and drew a bokkan. "What foul form of devil dare lay claim to the fair Akane Tendo?"

Ranma stepped forward and coldly glared at the other boy, he said nothing only dropped into a fighting stance. Akane watched from behind him. She wanted to call out to her upper-classman to run, but she couldn't find her voice, she feared what Ranma might do to her after his demonstration that she was merely his property. She wanted to find cold water, do anything to bring back the sweet, innocent young woman who had warned her of the Black Prince who stood before her. However, she could do nothing but watch.

"What's the matter, can the devil not speak? Very well, I shall introduce myself first. I am the rising star of the High school Kendo..." He never got a chance to finish as he had to duck a kick that might have taken his head off, as well as side-step a pair of well aimed punches, he could feel the pressure of the air as each narrowly missed him.

Finally seeing an opening the Bokkan wielder began his counter-attack. He unleashed a flurry of stabs and slashes that would have taken out most normal people rather quickly, and might have even dropped Ranma had they connected. He took his attack to complete his introduction. "I, known as Blue Thunder of Furinken High, am Tatewaki Kuno."

His name was the last sound he made. Ranma had ducked under a stab attempt, planted his left hand upon the ground, then drove a sharp kick into Kuno's gut. The force of the blow seemed muted as Kuno only shifted into the air six inches, then dropped to his hands and knees as Ranma rolled to his feet. Kuno coughed once, as a small flow of blood seemed to be vomited from his mouth. Ranma, being cold, heartless, arrogant, spun around on the pivot of his left foot, and ficked Kuno once more across the face, shattering his cheek bone, and sending him across the courtyard into a wall where he too lay motionless. Ranma scoffed, then spat at Kuno before making his own introduction. "I'm Ranma Saotome, Akane's master, get in my way again, and next time I'll kill you."

Akane dropped to her knees almost in tears. She never liked Kuno much, but even he deserved better then that. She'd seen Ranma's true face in detail, he was a monster, the very embodiment of fear. When he was free, she realized she would be powerless, he absolutely terrified her, to the point she'd answer to his every beck and call.

Something cold hit her face, followed by another, then another, and eventually a downpour of the cold. The spell of the evil demon seemed to wash away as a cold rain began to fall from the sky and Ranma fell to her face as if unconscious. Akane shook her head, snapping out of the demon's spell and ran to Ranma, then lifted her and drug her to a secluded store room on campus.

Ranma slowly came too and looked at Akane almost as if in a daze. "What happened? Where am I?"

"W-we're at school, that demon, h-he almost killed two people. I... I couldn't even move to stop him." Akane trembled as she held her knees to her chest watching Ranma.

Ranma grabbed her head as the memories slowly blurred into her mind then slammed her hand into a wall. "Dammit! Those poor boys..." Tears were streaming down from the corners of her eyes. She was powerless against the male half of her personality, as much as he was powerless against her, however, he would feel no remorse, no guilt for her actions, as she would suffer every detail of his crimes over and over, as it would torment her very soul. "You have to fight him Akane, you have to stop him when he's like that. I, I can't stand hurting all these people. What if he kills someone, or worse, you?"

Akane looked at Ranma, and almost joined the other woman in tears, she was touched that this Ranma seemed to care so much for her, and she felt that the other might, on some level, care as deeply. That almost froze her with fear again, a demon like that would completely destroy her with his kind of love. "I.. I don't know if I can Ranma, h-he's so powerful, so terrifying. I couldn't even breath watching him."

"If you don't, no one will."


	5. Light and Dark

Chapter 5:

Light and Dark

The world was dark, Ranma shivered and could hear only the sinister laughing that she recognized as her own, only it wasn't her. She could hear his distinct voice, the coldness of it that pierced through her, made her feel weak. She looked around in the darkness, finding only black in every corner of existence. She took a few steps, and then the vision came clearly to her. He was standing there, staring at her with eyes like daggers of ice.

"I know what you're up to, I know everything you know." The male Ranma took a step past her and looked over his shoulder with a nearly evil grin. "It won't work you know. That girl is under my influence, she can't even breath without my permission and you know it." Ranma chuckled slightly, his laughter sounding far more sinister then even that of what she imagined the devil himself might produce.

"Please, leave her out of it. I know how you feel about her, how can you torture her like this?"

"Silence! She'll be lucky if I don't excercise my power over her simply for agreeing to kill me, by your request. Shame I can't simply kill you." The male Ranma placed his arms around the neck of the female version of himself in a gentle embrace. "But alas, you are the one most precious to me, and despite wanting to harm you many times, I simply can't, for I love you too much, and I can't harm myself."

She shivered and felt herself weaken further. This was a battle of willpower, and she could sense his overwhelming prescense. She tried to fight it off, but she was finding it difficult to breath with him there. "P-please... S-stop this..."

"Stop? You know that won't happen. Without me, you'd be nothing, you'd still be weak, worthless. The old fool was holding us back. I made you strong by going after my desires." He had many desires, freedom from his father had been one of the greatest. He's ceased his opportunity when it presented itself, and it gave him even greater opportunities. "Perhaps there is something I can do to you though, you need to learn your place."

The female version turned around swiftly and backed away, facing her male counterpart. "What d-do you mean?"

"This, this is my realm." He spread his arms indicating the darkness with a sadistic grin. As he brought his arms down, two tai-chi blades formed in his hands. Even here, he could find something. Slowly he approached the female Ranma.

She stared at him in terror, frozen in place like a deer in headlights. She willed her body to move, but had long since lost to his sheer force of will and remained rooted in place. He stepped closer, raising both swords. She closed her eyes tightly, then heard the sound of air being split, followed by incredible pain. She opened her eyes, and watched as both of her arms hit the ground, then let out a loud scream, enough to wake the dead.

In fact, her own scream had awakened her as she shot up from her futon, panting and silencing herself as a cold sweat poured from her body. She could feel her heart pounding, her breathing was labored, and the pain was still there in her arms. She looked at them, assuring herself that it was just a dream, a nightmare rather.

Akane, Soun, Nabiki, and Kasumi all burst into the room and stared at Ranma. Akane flung herself around the girl with great concern. "What happened Ranma?"

The red-head took a deep breath and calmed slightly. "J-just a bad d-dream." She glanced at the rest of the family apologetically. "I, I'm sorry to have woken you."

"It happens to the best of us Ranma, just, try to keep it down next time please. I almost thought someone was trying to kill you." Soun chuckled slightly, then turned and hurried his elder daughters from the room. "Come, let's let Akane comfort the poor girl."

A moment passed and finally Akane and Ranma were alone. Akane looked to her friend cautiously and spoke, "It was him, wasn't it?"

Ranma slowly lowered her head and looked away. "H-he's never been in my dreams before. He's getting too strong, y-you have to help me Akane, even if you have to kill me."

"Don't be silly Ranma, I... I can't do it, no matter how much I promise to, I can't kill you, or him." Akane sighed a bit and looked away as well.

"Then do something, keep an eye on me, always stay with me and have cold water ready. We can't let him return again, it's too dangerous." Ranma pleaded as she stared at Akane through tear stained eyes.

"I know... I don't want to see him either. He's too powerful for me, his prescense is too great, I feel crushed under it."

"I..." Ranma gulped, she had experienced it too, even if it was a dream. She hugged her shoulders tightly to herself and winced in pain, it was then she noticed the blood slowly trickling down her arms. "H-he's too strong now, even to be contained."

"What do you mean Ranma?" Akane turned to look at the red-head.

"This, look at my arms." She extended them to Akane, then broke into tears.

"What happened?" Akane scurried to Ranma and wrapped her arms around the girl. The wounds didn't look too serious, but there was nothing to have caused them.

"He did it, in my nightmare... He's strong enough to cause real damage from my dreams. I can't do this Akane, I need this to end."

Akane sighed, then placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "I have an idea. We just need to avoid hot water until I can get you to meet him."

Ranma's tears began to subside as she looked up at Akane. "Who?"

"I don't want to say, in case he returns before then. Until then, don't worry. He'll be able to help you, I'm sure of it." She smiled a bit

Ranma sighed and fell backwards onto her futon. Her mind was racing with fear of her otherself, and the guilt, not only of her father's death, but the injuries her other self had caused at school the day before. She and Akane had visited the victims, one of whom was on life support and had a slim chance of a full recover. The other was a bit hardier, despite having been hit with significantly more force. He had only suffered a few broken bones, few meaning most of his body. Kuno was expected to recover within a year.

Ranma raised her hands over her head and sighed staring at them. "There's too much blood on these, even if I can rid myself of the demon, I'll never clean this stain from my hands."

"What do you mean Ranma?"

"With my own hands I killed my own father, he killed them, but I was his tool, his vessal... And, those poor boys at school..." Ranma rolled to her side. "I... I wish I was dead."

"Please don't say that! I... I can't even imagine life with you gone now Ranma, even without having known you long. We'll find a way, just try to get some sleep. We'll see him in the morning."

"Th-thanks Akane. I, I feel a little better now."

"Do you really?"

"Yeah." She let her tears run from her eyes. In fact, she now only felt worse.


End file.
